Crossing slab



Jan; 5, 1937. E. c. ALEXANDER CROSSING SLAB Filed May e, 1956 a Sheets-Sheet 1' w W SN W mm QQQ .1 I NM WNQQQ wm V \w E QN N WN Jan. 5, 1937.

E. C. ALEXANDER v CROSSING SLAB Filed May 6, 1936 v 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 QM N QM WW QZQ MN kw gm QN 9% Jan. 5, 1937. E. c. ALEXANDER CROSSING SLAB Filed May a, 1936 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 w WN EwwZ fgzz;

r I J a 6b @3 w Patented Jan. 5, 1937 UNITED STATES CROSSING SLAB Earl 0. Alexander, Glen Ellyn, 111., assignor m Massey Concrete Products Corporation, Chicago, 111., a. corporation of Virginia Application May 6, 1936, Serial No. 78,130 4 Claims. (01.238-8),

The present invention relates to crossing slabs, and is particularly concerned with improved crossing slabs and arrangements for installat1ons of crossing slabs for making a right angled railway crossingor a skew crossing.

One of the objects of the invention is the provision of an improvedcrossing slab construction whichis" absolutely safefrom the point of view of 'pos'sibility of teetering of the slabs on intermediate ties and from the point of view of secure-' ment-of the slabsinplace by securing devices or interlocking devices so as to make'sure noslab will ever project upwardly so that it might be.

25* about the edges of the slab to protect the edges against breakage. I

Other objects and advantages of the inven-v tion will be apparent from the following. description-and the accompanying drawings, in which 30 similar characters of reference indicate similar parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the'drawings, of which there'are three sheets, I

Fig. .lgisa fragmentary plan viewof a right 35 angle railway crossing equipped with slabs constructed and installed according to the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary plan view of a skew crossing; 40" Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on. the line 3--3 of Fig, Llocated in the direction of the arrows; Fig. 4-is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the plane of the line 44 of Fig. 1,. the view being enlarged over that of Fig. 1; Fig.- 5 is a fragmentary sectional view, taken on the'plane of the line 5-5 of'Fig. I, looking Fig. 8 isa transverse vertical sectional view adjacent four through a modification showing another mode of installing and securing the slabs; V V

J Fig. 9 is a similar viewof another modification;

Fig. 10 is a fragmentary sectional view, with the slabs in elevation, showing another mode of securing the slabs to a tie;

Fig. 11 is a top plan view of a fragment of the installation of Fig. 10; i r

Fig. 12 is a fragmentary sectional view taken through a rail and the adjacent slabs, showing details of construction of the installation to form flange-way guards;

Fig. 13 is a view similar to Fig. 12 of another modification. I

Referring to Fig. 1, the crossing, which is indicated in its entirety by the numeral I0, is shown in connection with the usual ties II and rails l2, l3. The slabs-in the installation of Fig. 1 are of threedifferenttypes, such as the edge slabs I14, the slabs I5 adjacent the rails on the inside, and the center slabs- It.

The concrete slabs preferably comprise premolded concrete members, generally rectangular in plan and in elevatiomexcept for the provision of formations to accommodate the tie plates, rail flanges, and fastening devices. All of the slabs are preferably provided with reinforcing rods extending longitudinally and transversely, and various forms of reinforcing may be used, according to standard practice.

Referring to Fig. 4, the slabs preferably extend longitudinally of the track and preferably extend over the space betweenmore than two ties. Thus,

the slab [5, shown in Fig. 4, extends from the tie I! to the tie' l9 and traverses the tie Hi. It is preferably cut out at 2B and 2! adjacent each end so as to provide a seating surface for engaging the ties l1 and I9, leaving the downwardly projecting portions 22, 23 engaging between the ties. The shoulders 24-21 serve tokeep the slabs in proper position with respect to the ties, and the groove 28 between the shoulders 25 and 26 is'deeper than the other indentations adjacent shoulders 24 and 21 so that the tie I B does not touch the slab 15. Thus, the slab is supported at 'both ends and there is no chance of it teetering on intermediate ties.

, It should be understood that in other embodiments of the invention slabs may be made long enough to span more than two tie spaces, in which case theywould rest, only on the ties which are adjacent the ends of the slabs.

The preferred form of reinforcing is shown in elevation in Fig. 4, with rods 29 extending trans- V versely near the bottom of the slab, and other rods 30 extending longitudinally of the slab near the bottom, and having downwardly bent ends 3| near the top.

In the embodiment of Figs. 1 and 3, it will be observed that the edge slabs 14 are mortised at 32 to provide space for the tie plates 33, the lower rail flanges, and the railway spikes 34. The same is true of that edge of the slabs l5 which is adjacent the rails.

In addition to this, the slab I5 is formed with a right angular groove 35 adjacent the rail in order to provide space for the wheel flange. The other edges of the slabs may be plane surfaces, which are rectangular in elevation, so that the slabs fit flatly against each other to form the complete crossing.

In some embodiments of the invention the slabs may be secured in place solely by virtue of their weight and by the engagement of the shoulders 2421 with the ties. In other embodiments of the invention the installation may be made safer by using securing devices such as the lag screws 36 (Fig. 3) which are located in grooves and sockets formed at the edges of the slabs and screwed into the ties.

The grooves in the slabs may comprise tapered grooves 31 (Fig. 5) communicating at each end with the larger tapered sockets 38 which are adapted to receive the washer 39 and head 40. When two slabs are arranged with their edges touching each other, a pair of the grooves 31 and sockets 38 form a bore and counterbore extending through the assembly for receiving the lag screw and washer. The head 40 and washer 39 are thus disposed below the surface, and one lag screw 36, by virtue of the washer and the formation of the grooves in the slabs, is adapted to hold down two or more slabs. Thus, in Fig. 1, the edge slabs have the lag screw grooves formed midway between the side edges of the slabs, and one lag screw secures the two adjacent ends of two slabs to the tie.

With the slabs l5 and I6 between the tracks, the grooves are formed in the corners of the slabs and comprise one-fourth of the cylinder, so that one lag screw 4| (Fig. 1), disposed at the four adjacent corners of four slabs, secures all of those slabs to the tie.

It should be understood that it is not necessary to place lag screws at every corner or intersection between the slab joints, but only at the two diagonally opposite corners.

In the embodiment of Fig. 2, it will be noted that the skew crossing is formed by offsetting the joints between the slabs, and in such case the lag screws 42 are at two corners and midway between the ends of the other slab. Here the slab I5 has a tapered groove formed in its edge, while the two corners have grooves which are equivalent to a quarter of the aperture.

Supplementing the lag screw securing device, the rails may be provided with bores 43, with headless bolts 44 secured therein by lock nuts 45, the bolts projecting from each side of the rail. The slabs may then be provided with tapered bores 46, 41 on the sides adjacent the rail, and the ends of the bolt 44 project into these tapered apertures and prevent the slabs from being lifted out of place at the edge adjacent the rail. This feature may be used with or without the lag screws, as in some embodiments of the invention it may be deemed necessary only to make sure that the slabs are held down adjacent the rails.

Figs. 6 and 7 show enlarged detail views of the sockets which are formed in the corners and edges of the slabs for receiving the washers 39.

Referring to Fig. 8, this is a modification in which the slabs are held down principally by the securement of the center slab 48. In this embodiment the center slab has a socket 49 and bore 56 for receiving the head, washer and screw bolt which is secured into the tie below that slab.

The center slab 48 has a laterally projecting flange 5| at each side, which overlies a laterally projecting lower flange 52 carried by the slabs 53, 54. It will thus be observed that the center slab is adapted to hold down the slabs 53, 54 by virtue of the engagement of the flanges 5| with the flanges 52, greatly reducing the number of securing devices which would otherwise be needed.

Fig. 9 shows another modification, in which the side slabs 55, 56 have such flanges for holding down the center slab 51.

Fig. 10 shows another modification, in which the edges of the slabs are provided with right angle-shaped grooves 58. These grooves extend into the slab from the edge face thereof, so that the securing rods 59, which have a complementary right angular end 6|], may be slid into the groove 58 in a lateral direction. The lower angular bend 6| on the rod 59 engages below the tie 62 where it is held by virtue of the engagementof the upper end of the rod in the groove 58. In this case no securing devices are visible from the top of the crossing, thereby making it more difficult for unauthorized persons to remove the slabs.

Referring to Fig. 12, this is a fragmentary 'view of an installation having an improved method of closing the spaces between the slabs and the rail, and forming a groove for the wheel flange. In this case the edge of the slab adjacent the rail is provided with an angle iron having 'a vertically extending flange 63 and a horizontally extending flange 64. Tapered anchoring lugs 65 may be punched out of the horizontally extending flange, and that flange and the lugs may be embedded in the concrete in such manner that the flange 63 is spaced from the edge of the concrete by a distance equal to the thickness of flange 63. A second angle iron 66 may have its vertical flange confined between the concrete and the flange 63', and it may have its horizontal flange closing the space between the concrete and the rail.

The angle irons are preferably so located that the horizontal flange of the angle iron comes immediately below the top flange of the rail, on the outside of the rail. The slab on the inside of the rail may be equipped in a similar manner with angle irons 61 and 68, except that both these angle irons'are located slightly lower, so as to clear the wheel flange and to cause the upper surface of the angle iron flange 68 to be substantially flush with the horizontal concrete surface 69.

Referring to Fig. 13, this is a modification in which the edges of the concrete slabs adjacent the rail have been provided with 2 bars 10, 1| of such width as to locate their upper horizontal flanges in substantially the same position as in Fig. 12. These 2 bars may be anchored to the concrete slabs by suitably tapered lugs 12 punched out of the web, or by any other suitable form of anchor.

While I have illustrated a preferred embodiment of my invention, many modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention, and I do not wishto be limited to the precise details of construction set forth, but desire to avail myself of all changes within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is:

1. In a crossing slab, the combination of a premolded cementitious member having sides of regular polygonal form, said member being formed at one of its edge surfaces with a partially cylindrical groove adapted with other similar members to form a recess in a crossing installation for a securing member, said cementitious member having said groove formed at one of its corners whereby a multiplicity of said members meeting at said corner may be secured by a single securing member.

2. In a railway crossing, the combination of a rail having a rod fixedly carried by the web of said rail and projecting laterally from said rail, with a crossing slab arranged with one edge face parallel to said rail, said edge face having a socket for said rod to anchor said crossing slab against vertical removal.

3. In a railwaycrossing, the combination of a rail having a rod fixedly carried by the web of said rail and projecting laterally from said rail, with a crossing slab arranged with one edge face parallel to said rail, said edge face having a socket for said rod to anchor said crossing slabagainst vertical removal, said apertures being tapered to provide sufiicient clearance for said rod in said aperture when the opposite edge of said slab is lifted above adjacent slabs to effect a removal of said slab.

4. In a railway crossing installation, the combination of a railway comprising a pair of rails supported by a plurality of ties, a plurality of crossing slabs, said slabs extending longitudinally of the railway and spanning the spaces between a plurality of ties, said slabs being formed with grooves adjacent each of the ties under the slabs, the bases of the grooves at the slab ends forming supporting surfaces and the grooves intermediate the slab ends being deeper to prevent contact with intermediate ties.

EARL C. ALEXANDER. 

